Dragneel Brothers 2
by stoneheart1909
Summary: The continuation of the Dragneel brother stories. Natsu managed to make Zeref follow his whim. His brother on the other hand, wasn't a happy camper from the way Natsu had describe his plan. It seemed Natsu is hell bent in ensuring that Fairy Tail will accept his brother just like him but Zeref knew other wise. Will Natsu succeed? Or will the whole thing crumble? Read to find out.


He stood in front of the building nervously, whilst his baby brother was bouncing on the sole of his feet. Excitement and anticipation clearly written on the youngest face. The both of them were strapped with a huge bags filled with at least, seven container of cookies and they are holding one container each. Zeref doubted this will go well, heck he would be very grateful if the members would just ignored him.

Natsu just couldn't smell the vehemence his guild mates were spewing towards him and Zeref had no doubt that Natsu would pounce on anybody who dared to even slightly injure him. Worst case scenario, he would be taunted with words that will most likely hurt his feelings. Not that he'll have much problem with it. Repressing his emotions were his forte after all.

Zeref really didn't want to create any rifts within Fairy Tail, moreover, he really didn't want his baby brother alienated because they had some beef with him.

'Natsu, I really think I shouldn't go in there.' He pleaded. This was the umpteenth time he had tried coaxing his brother to not let him enter the compound but Natsu was relentless. He really wants Fairy Tail to accept his big brother just like he did.

'It'll be okay Nii-chan. You trust me right?', then comes the damned beaten puppy dog's eyes. Zeref internally groaned, he cursed the deep love he had for his baby brother. He sometimes blamed his affection when he spoiled him too much. No wonder Natsu was such a brat sometimes. With a disgruntled 'Fine', Natsu pulled his brother by the wrist into the building .

Natsu slammed the door open and yelled loudly to make his presence known. At first the guild hall were in a state of cacophony. Yet, the moment Zeref stepped foot into it, the hall became deathly quite. No one uttered a word and all eyes were zeroed on him which made the older Dragneel very , very, uncomfortable.

He never did well under so many scrutinizing stares. Gulping, he gave Natsu a worried glance. 'It'll be fine Nii-chan. Like we practice, wave and smile. Wave and smile', Natsu repeated the last line a few times before he went to greet his teammates.

Zeref on the other hand, stood frozen at the guild's door not really knowing where to go. He swore the people of the west wing were snarling at him, not that the people in the east wings were happy with his presence there either. In a nutshell, they hated his guts. _It's all for Natsu_ he chanted.

Ignoring their piercing gaze, Zeref made his way to the nearest table he saw. There were two old men in their mid forties, two teenagers (a girl and a boy) and a talking cat-he assumed is an exceed. All four of them except for the girl were glaring daggers at him. Clearing his throat, he threw another worried glance at his brother.

Natsu was mouthing something endearing to him which somehow soothed his nerves a bit. So he faced them with a slight smile. 'Umm... if you don't mind, I would like to offer you folks something', he gently peeled the lid of his container. 'A cookie, as a token of peace. Would you like to have a bite. It's my mother's secret recipe'.

They were staring at him then the container and him again. That went on for a minute which turned the situation more awkward and nerve wrecking. Zeref was about to tell them it's okay if they didn't want his cookies when a small dainty hand grabbed one from his container.

The young girl took a bite. At first the other three paled at her gesture but they calm down when she smiled. 'That was delicious! Do you mind if I take another one?', she asked politely. Zeref who couldn't believe his eyes and ears stuttered his response 'S-Sure go ahead, take as many as you like'.

She genuinely smiled at him when she took another one. Zeref felt warmth seeping into his body, this was the second time someone was actually happy he had been in their presence since after he got cursed.

'Are you okay?', the girl asked him worriedly.

Zeref blinked several times, he hadn't realize that tears had gathered in his eyes and were streaming down his cheeks. He quickly wiped it away 'No, No I'm fine. It's has been a while since anybody smile at me. Thank you...umm'.

'Wendy. My name is Wendy. Nice to meet you Zeref-san'.

Zeref was baffled for a moment when she reached out her hand, shakily he grabbed it and gave it a little shake. 'Likewise Wendy.' With a new found courage he smiled at the other three. 'Do you guys want to have a bite?', he tried again.

This time the boy sitting next to Wendy relented. 'As long as it's not poisoned I don't mind I guess'.

'Romeo!', both Wendy and Macao shouted though the former shouted in happiness and the latter shouted in disdain.

'Put that down Romeo! He could have put anything into it!', the older man screamed, the boy clearly ignored him and took a bite. He was chewing for awhile before saying 'Yep, definitely put something in it alright.'

Zeref sucked his breath, if the boy said anything is wrong with the cookies he -

'Almonds, chips and is that peanut butter I tasted? Anyway, this is delicious!', the boy cheered. 'Mind if I take another one?'.

Zeref was surprised for the second time that day, 'N-Not at all'.

'Sweet! Thanks by the way. It was nice of you to try and make amends with us Zeref-san. I guess you aren't a bad person or weren't a bad person anymore!', Romeo said cheerily.

'You are willing to forgive me just like that? Just because of a piece of delicacy?', Romeo eyed the man warily. He's afraid if Zeref went on a tantrum but the boy can see the befuddlement written across his face.

'You are trying to make amends right?', when Zeref nodded the boy continued 'Well, at least for me that was all that mattered. Plus, Natsu-nii look so much happier when he's with you'.

Zeref were surprised yet again. The boy looked very young but he had spoken like a very wise man. That or the boy was compassionate and kind just like his baby brother. After saying his thanks and persuading the other much older men and an exceed to take his cookies, Zeref went to another table with a more refined confidence. Though his luck dwindled a bit as he went on. The members were either brushing him off or completely ignoring him. He didn't mind that one bit. At least they are not physically harming him.

The only other people that took the cookies from him was the dear child named Asuka. Her parent took her far away from him soon after. In the end, he reached the bar. The people there were the ones that loathed him the most.

Erza, a man that tower over him, a small petite girl and a black cat that look like the man's companion were seated there. He knew the red head had verbally voiced her discomfort of him but it wouldn't hurt to try right?

So carefully he approached the red head. 'Uhh. Excuse me', the girl barely spare him a glance.

He continued nonetheless, 'I was wondering if you would like to have a cookie. It's not poisoned I promise'.

If he wasn't the black wizard Zeref, Erza would have chuckled seeing how flustered he was. Now that's not the case is it? The smell wafting from the cookies were tempting but she couldn't let her guard down now of all times.

'What do you think you can achieve by doing this?', Erza asked loudly. That, garnered all attention to her.

'Well, nothing really. Just trying to make friends with everybody here', Zeref answered sheepishly. He mentally slapped himself from how unrealistic his answer sounded.

'You wanted friends? Why?'.

He took a step back when her piercing iris scanned him from top to bottom. He knew what she was trying to do. She's trying to peel him off layer by layer, trying to read his actions, trying to find whether her was sincere or just faking it. He hated that, he hates it when somebody does that to him. It messes with his head, made him think he was unworthy of living and breathing made him felt like dying was the only way out. Made him go back to his time when he had the Ankhseram curse.

Maybe he was just over thinking things or maybe he was just reading her meaning too much but he just couldn't think straight. He didn't realize how his breath quickened and how his face turned paler than usual which made him look sickly. His hands were shaking subtly, and worse of all, he's slowly being reminded of the cold and dark feeling he felt when he was alone. When he was forbid to love anything.

The dark part of his mind was slowly taking control, black dots were entering his peripherals and somehow he felt like he couldn't breath very well.

'I'll take one of yer' damn cookies', the gruff voice broke his train of thoughts. His breath receding to their normal state. He looked up and were shocked to hear the huge man with piercing uttering those sentence.

To be quite honest, he looked the most hostile out of all of them so Zeref was caught off guard when the man actually willingly wanted to eat his cookies.

'Gajeel!', he could hear the disbelief written on the petite girl's face and the cat when he uttered that.

'What?", Zeref repeated, still unsure of what he had heard.

Gajeel grunted, 'Don't make me repeat myself, give me a cookie, preferably one Salamander hadn't touched.'

The was an indignant hey from the crowd, which Zeref knew came from his brother.

'The ones with me were the ones I made. I assure you, there's is no tobasco or any other overly spicy spice were put in. At least I don't think so. My brother is unpredictable you see'.

Gajeel snorted but he took a cookie nonetheless. 'Hmmm, not bad Dragneel. Could've used more metal though'.

Zeref eyes widened just a fraction bit, causing Gajeel to chuckle in amusement. 'You called me-'.

'Dragneel? Yeah I did. You're Salamander's big brother right? I thought we established that. Guess idiocy does run in the family huh'.

'Shut it metal head or I'll pound you head!'.

'Like to see you try Salamander!', Gajeel growled in return.

'You seriously accepting me just because of a cookie? Seriously?', Gajeel raised his eyebrow when he heard how disbelief Zeref sounded.

He folded his arm and look straight at him. 'You were cursed because you tried to revive your dead brother which is Salamander right?'.

Zeref lowered his head, 'Yes'.

'Your curse was that everything you love will be taken away from you or more precisely, the more you learn about the value of life the higher the probability it will be strip of existence, correct?'.

'Yes', Zeref answered quietly.

'Next, you weren't exactly in control of yourself when you created an entire empire out of vengeance on the world. It's more than likely that centuries of solitude caused you to loose grip on your humanity and conscience.'

Zeref wanted to say that he was fully conscious and sane when he went through that but the look on Gajeel face made him swallowed that. 'Yes'.

'In conclusion you made a wrong choice that generally fucked up your entire existence in the world', Gajeel summed up.

Zeref sweated dropped, he wished Gajeel would use a more suitable word to express his struggles. 'Yeah that's pretty much it'.

The iron dragon slayer seemed to contemplate on the matter more. 'Then there's nothing wrong 'bout you'.

'What!', the guild resounded, Erza being the loudest out all of them.

Gajeel clucked his tongue 'Look, I get that he's the Great Black Wizard and shit, he made a mistake cause he was a lonely brat that couldn't deal with his family loss but ya' get to give the guy some credit. If he didn't did what he did we wouldn't have Salamander alive and breathing'.

That made the guild completely went still 'Heck, he fucked up big time and killed a lot of people and shit but I did the same thing years ago. Me and him are no different if we are thinking along the line of mistakes. Both made a wrong choice once. If Gramps can give me a second chance at life why not him?.' Gajeel walked towards the older man 'Gihee, First told us all about you yesterday, when she and bunny girl were pestering us to accept you. I wouldn't forgive you immediately for what you had done but this is a good start. Keep doing it and who knows maybe someday we can perform on stage together?'.

Gajeel gave the man a playful nudge on his head and took another three cookies from his container. He talked happily towards his companions. They were reprimanding him but the black cat had a small smirk plastered on his face. The petite girl on the other hand seemed confused and amazed at the same time.

Zeref released a breath he hadn't know he held. He felt his legs turned to jelly. 'I need a seat', he groaned. He walked just a bit far from Erza who seemed to weight what Gajeel had said. Zeref looked into his container of cookies. The amount that was eaten barely made a dent but he was happy; there are still people out there that's more than willing to give him a second chance.

He dropped his head on the counter, tired beyond belief. The day went unexpectedly better than what he had initially imagined. His brother was right. The people in the guild isn't so hostile towards him.

He heard someone plopped down on the chair next to him. Then he felt the overly familiar warm arm slink its way around his shoulders. 'See, I told you it wasn't so bad', Zeref chuckled at how proud Natsu sounded.

'You're right Natsu. Fairy tail is full of good people. But I'm tired socializing. Can we continue this tomorrow or something. By the way have you seen Mavis and Lucy? I haven't seen them since morning'.

'Beats me, betcha' they are shopping somewhere in town square. Lucy had been rambling about these new pairs of boots on sale for the last week'.

Zeref chuckled, 'Girls', they said in unison. Zeref was about to continue his conversation with Natsu when a cheery voice disrupted him.

'Gray-sama, look there's Natsu-san!', Juvia tugged the unwilling raven head towards the secluded corner of the counter.

When the both of them arrived, a deep scowl quickly etched itself on Gray's face. 'Why are you sill here?', he hissed.

'Watch it Ice princess that's my brother you're talking to', Natsu growled.

Zeref tried to ignore the sparks flying in between his brother and the menacing raven head. He face the smiling girl and brought out his container of cookies.

'Would you like some cookies, Miss?'.

Juvia was shocked when he offered the dessert. She was about to reach for it when Gray hastily slapped the container away. 'Get the fuck away from Juvia. Who knows what you could have put in that batter'.

'You're over stepping your boundaries Popsicle', now Natsu's hands ignited in flames. His eyes shrewd and he looked ready to demolished the whole guild. Black markings began to grown on Gray's side.

'Wanna have a go Pyro?', he taunted.

A second later the both of them were tousling on the guild floor. Ice and fire sparks flying everywhere catching some furniture on fire and others frozen solid. Zeref on the other hand, ignored all the rucks and pick up his thrown container. He let out a sad sigh when he saw most of the cookies had crumbled upon impact.

Zeref was about to dwell on the thought whether or not he should retire for the day when a soft tap on his shoulder grabbed his attention. He turned to face with the girl that came with the raven guy looking apologetic.

'Juvia is sorry for what Gray-sama had done. He was hurt badly by a demon. Deliora if Juvia wasn't mistaken, the demon name was'.

'Ahhh..., Deliora. My most belligerent demon. I thought I had locked it away. I guess it escaped his confinement due to my negligence'.

Juvia shook her head and hand rapidly, 'No, No, don't feel bad. Juvia heard about what Zeref-san went through and Juvia understand why you did what you did. Honestly speaking, Juvia would have done the same if it meant Juvia can see her family again'.

'Huh, you had some of you family died too?'.

'Well, Juvia was abandoned by her parents and her uncle took care of her since she was six, but her uncle got very sickly and died. Juvia had no family that's willing to take her in so she had to go live in an orphanage. If Juvia had the power to resurrect Juvia's uncle, Juvia would have done it in a heart beat. Loosing somebody had never been easy. Being lonely is no fun at all.'

'Oh I see'.

The girl who looked so solemn when she spoke of her uncle suddenly shifted her expression to a smile. 'If you don't mind Juvia would like to have a taste of that cookie'.

Surprised by her quick turn of emotions, the man brought out another container of cookies he prepared. Juvia eyes sparkled brightly, her mouth watered slightly at the sight. Zeref chuckled, the girl is very amusing, she had what people called an empathy.

The container was about to exchange hands when it was ripped off his grasps. Zeref turned to meet with a very furious looking raven head. He thought the man would had screamed at him, but he was wrong.

The man turned to face the girl, eyes blazing red with the markings growing bigger. 'I thought I told you not to take anything from him', he spat, almost hatefully.

The girl blinked her eyes a few times as if contemplating whether or not the man in front of her is the same person. When she saw he is indeed the same person, she huffed. 'Gajeel-kun ate one and he's fine. There's nothing wrong with Juvia taking one.'

'He could have try to poison us Juvia! Why can't you see-'.

'It's you who can't see Gray-sama!', the way she screeched shocked all occupants in the room. When she realized the attentions, she took a deep calming breath and continue 'Juvia thinks it's fair if we give Zeref-san a chance. A probation if you may'.

'A black wizard don't need-'.

'Stop griping Gray-sama. He made a mistake sure, but we can't forsake him forever! What good will that do?!', now her hand began flying everywhere to emphasize her points.

Gray's face was red, literally red in anger. He was seething, smokes began to came out of his ears. 'You know what, do what ever you want. If anything happens to you don't come and find me!', he harshly shoved the jar into her hand causing her to stumble a bit.

The Guild door's slammed shut harshly. Zeref turned to look at the girl. Her grip on the cookie jar was tight, any tighter she could have bend the plastic. He wanted to take the jar back, he didn't mean to cause a rift in their relationship but the girl hugged the jar to her chest. Sure, her cheeks were red and her eyes were glassy but she didn't cry. She huffed and started munching on the cookies non-stop.

When half an hour passed, Zeref slid down next to her with a sparkling water bottle in hand. He carefully hand it to her. She spared him a glance and happily gulped his offer. Zeref opened his mouth to start his apology when the girl raised her hand, stopping him.

'Don't', she took a shaky breath, wiped her eyes and turned to face him. 'D-Don't apologize for what you did. Gray-sama was in the wrong but he was hurt and he's despaired. Deliora had taken all the people that loved him in his life, his parent, his mentor and himself'.

Zeref gulped, he felt a knife stabbing his chest, twisting and turning wildly. He felt hurt, suffocated, guilty. He hadn't meant for that to happen he really didn't. Why? Why was he even born-

'J-Juvia didn't want Zeref-san to feel bad', Zeref flinched when a soft hand landed on his shoulder. He lifted his face and he saw the most caring, understanding smile he had ever seen (apart from Mavis). 'Juvia knew what it felt like to be alienated, what it felt to be look down on but do your best Zeref-san. Juvia really like these cookies though, do you mind if we bake together sometime in the future?'.

Zeref dazedly nod his head, 'Yeah sure. Why not.'

The girl giggled, 'Juvia should be on her way. Gray-sama has had his time sulking, time to be a man', she said reproachfully but lovingly nonetheless. She said a goodbye and gave Zeref the smallest of wave.

Zeref slumped his head on the counter again. He was glad he gave away some of his cookie jars. At least it will not go to waste. Another sigh. He wanted to go home right this instant. All this socializing is wearing him out but Natsu insisted he stayed till evening, just for the day.

***Tap*Tap***

A plate of steak and a huge mug of Chamomile tea were placed gently by his side. The sight made his mouth watered. He wanted to order something but he doubted the waitress would even spare him a glance so he just have to make do with the smell. Urghh... his stomach is growling, he really wanted to bite that juicy black pepper steak. Maybe he should cook some when they got home. Yes, a pit stop at the market sounded right.

'Why are you staring at the food?', a soft voice like bell chimes asked. He turned his head to see the smiling bartender looking at him. He was no idiot, the smile might looked pleasing on the outside but he knew better, she was also subtly judging him just like the redhead; just a bit more discreet.

'Nothing, Miss. The piece look exquisite. You're quite the cook Miss...'.

'Mirajane. Mirajane Strauss. You can call me Mira'.

'If you want I can move somewhere else. I don't want to make the recipient of this fabulous meal uncomfortable', he joked. She giggled in response.

'Well, aren't you quite the charmer. I can see where Natsu get that charm of his. But, it's fine. The meal is for you anyway'.

He was flabbergasted, he didn't bring any cash with him. Though the meal look simple enough, a meat on a plate had never been cheap. It'll put a dent on his wallet for sure. Despite him wanting to take on the offer, he couldn't just dine and dash. That's inappropriate. 'Sorry, Mira. I don't really have any cash on me to pay for it. I appreciate the sentiment though'.

He swore she saw her eyes flashed momentarily before it returned to the normal sky blue. Somehow, the little bits of bloodlust he felt around him dissipate and was replaced with a more homey kind of feeling. 'It's fine. Natsu ordered it for you. He told me to put it on his tab. Plus, the tea is on the house. Take it as payment for your hard work today', she gave him a slight smile before retreating to the back.

A little perturb but grateful, Zeref slide the cuisine right in front of him. The smell wafting through the air was enough to make a dam out of his mouth. The steak was juicy red and the meat felt tender as if it was fresh. The aroma from the tea was soothing to boot. He felt scared, torrent of negative thoughts went through his mind. The wave of **_what if's_** still persist in holding him back from eating. There could be poison,laxatives or any kind of substances placed in the meal that's deadly enough to make him suffer.

'Oh what's the matter?', Mira came back, this time with trays of beers balanced on her hands. She tilted her head in pure curiosity. Natsu had told her about his brother's meat obsession and she had made sure he got the freshest meat Natsu could find from the morning market. The spices all came from Natsu's own backyard. The tea was purely hers so there shouldn't be a problem right? That was what she thought until she saw how he was shaking in his seat and how he subconsciously chewed his bottom lip in apprehension.

Mira internally sighed, if she hadn't spent a good deal of her life living with Natsu she wouldn't have picked up the habits. Brothers will always be brothers eh. She quickly hand over the orders in her hands before returning to have a little chat with Zeref, this time she brought a few silver wares with her.

Zeref flinched when Mira came to him for the third time that evening. This time she was smiling gently while holding a knife in one hand. That sent chills down his spine. Is she trying to kill me!!! Oh god! She is!! She must have thought that I-

**_*Clink*Clink*Yum*_**

His eyes widens when she took a slice out of his meat. 'There's nothing in here except for some spices and a pretty juicy steak. It's a shame if you don't want it. Natsu had been scourging the ingredients since morning and he had even pestered me enough to made sure this is the best cuisine I had ever made and I had to say it is the best', she wiggled the fork and gently tap his head with it's butt. 'I can assure you, this is not spiked or poisoned'.

Warmth seeped to his face and red hue began to adorn it. He was embarrassed he had such egregious thoughts. Quickly, he grabbed the nearest utensils he found and eat. For the first time that day, he actually feel welcomed and for that slight moment only, he felt as if Fairy tail had become his home. Well, things went pretty well sans for the few not so subtle stares coming from the redhead and the cheeky grin coming from the metal dude. Even little Wendy had come to him sometime during his lunch to ask for a jar of cookies which he happily handed to her.

He even gave Romeo another jar of cookies much to the boy's surprise. He repeatedly said thanks before grabbing Wendy's hand and skipped outside to go to their mission. Love might have been forbidden to him once upon a time, but he can always detect a budding romance when he sees one. Ah youth, nothing could beat the surge of hormones.

After his meal, Mira and him had a little chat about how she knew what was in his mind. He was amazed when she said both him and Natsu shared tendencies when they had a nervous break down. From his view, the bartender seemed nice and easy to get along with, yet he was sure there's demonic aura rolling off her in waves that could suffocate people if she ever wish to do so.

Lunch was okay and the day almost ended but Natsu was nowhere to be seen. Zeref worriedly glanced at the clock on his right. It's almost six and his baby brother was nowhere to be seen. Natsu for once, never came late in their schedules since he wanted to spend every precious minutes doing something with him, for Natsu to suddenly forgot his promise or his own schedule for that matter, was very worrying. He began chewing his bottom lip- cue the nervous streak.

Mira place another Chamomile tea on his side, he eyed her curiously.

'On the house', she answered curtly. He gave a slight thanks and drank the beverage. The warmth soothed his frantic nerves but does little to give him comfort over his brother's disappearance. He was about to look for Natsu when a loud rumbling shook the guild's foundation; **_*crack* _**went down the side wall and his brother came tumbling in. Natsu was hurt badly, his clothes torn and singed. Scorch marks adorned half his body and he spat out blood.

His breathing haggard, his eyes blood shot, the flames underneath his feet flickered nervously as his body hunched forward, feet spreading into a fighting stance. When the smokes cleared with the people receding from the place, a burly man with lightning sparks around his body stepped into the threshold.

He recognized the man that first halted him when he went to see Makarov. He could sense the immense amount of magic the man posses but he never thought the man could actually made his brother looked so unsure, especially when it came to fighting.

Zeref lurched forward, wanting to pull Natsu away from the man but a strong hold on his elbow stopped him. He turn to see Mira pulling him back with a thin line on her lips. Gone was the cherry attitude replaced with a much sterner and serious facade.

Zeref understood the gesture. It took all his willpower to stepped aside and not intervene. What could the man have said to rile up his brother so much. To make his brother display such a violent look, to make his brother totally and utterly pissed. There was a minute of a silent stare off and **_WHOOSH! _**His brother landed a flaming kick on the man's side only for it to be blocked by the man's huge arms.

The man fisted his palm and in a swift motion slammed it on top of Natsu's head. He then lift the boy by his ankle and let Natsu dangle haphazardly in his hand. Red lightning snaked it's way around his body and shocked the poor boy.

Everyone gasped, from the sheer pain that escapes Natsu's mouth. He then dropped him down like a sack of potatoes. 'Wake up', **_kick_**, 'Wake up Salamander', **_kick_** 'You said you wanna fight for your brother place right', **_jab_** 'How are you going to make me accept him with this pathetic display of power', **_slam_**.

Natsu rammed into a couple of table breaking them into splinters. He coughed blood and gingerly wiped it away from his mouth 'Shaddap, I ain't done yet', his fists once again ignite in flames with the addition of lightning.

The man scoffed but he look amused. 'Natsu had never used this mode before, this is new', Zeref notes the awed way Mira had spoken. Had this really been the first time Natsu had shown his true capabilities?

Nevertheless, his opponent didn't seemed distraught by the revelation. Au contraire! he looked like he finally found something worthwhile to plummet. His brother dashed forward. Zeref's breath were taken away from how fast his brother had become. The lighting did gave him brother a surge of speed. How ever, the mode does have it flaws. From what Zeref had seen his brother's fire power decreased slightly but Natsu made good use of the momentum he created when he was buzzing around the man.

Despite the nonchalant facade the man created, Zeref or any one actually; can see the tell tale sign of purplish bruise emerging on his body,torso or more specifically around his arms.Natsu's opponent hadn't move and inch, he kept crouching down with his hand close to his face. He kept the defensive pose for far too long. In Zeref's opinion, he could have easily evade the attack, no need to go through with physical defense unless...

'Natsu watch out', he was too late. When Natsu was landing another attack on the man, he quickly grab his ankle, pulled the boy closer and slammed his big fist on the boy's torso right on top of the sternum.

It took his breath away. Natsu hacked and cough violently, desperately trying to gulp air. The tips of his fingers and toes felt cold, he cold barely move a muscle at that point. Normally this wouldn't have left a scratch but the slam had come with a coated lightning fist. The amount of electricity coursing through his body muddled the rhythm of his heart making it unbearably excruciating from him to lift a finger.

His opponent stalked closer, his eyes cold and calculative. Natsu cursed, his body can't move dammit. No matter how much rigorous training he took, no matter how much power he accumulate. At the end of the day he's still human, and pretty frankly his body will naturally response to their nature. He couldn't fight it even if he wanted to. No amount of sheer will power can make him lift his finger then.

'Stop!', a blur of black invade his peripherals; his opponent stopped, slightly amused by the suicidal act his stupid big brother was making.

'Move it', the man growled. Lightning began to dance around his body.

Zeref didn't have his original powers but he could let the man take another step closer to his brother. 'No', he said firmly. 'I don't have the slightest idea what the two of you were fighting about but please don't hurt him anymore. He's hurt enough'.

His plead went to deaf ears as the man began walking. Slowly, very,very slowly.

Zeref shook, what was he suppose to do now? What could he offer to sate the man's bloodlust? Then it clicked in him. 'I-I offer you my life!', he shouted.

That definitely stop the man on his track. His eyebrow raised, intrigued with the offer. 'You can have your way with me but leave my brother alone.'

'N-No Zeref-nii-'.

'Shut it Natsu! So how about it?'.

The man folded his arms, with an amused smirk he said 'So, you willingly sold yourself for your brother despite knowing the suffering you will go through?'.

'Yeah'.

'You are willing to be lock up in a freaking cage like a fucking bird as long as your brother gets to breathe another air?'.

'Yes', the answer is firmer this time.

The man shrugged, he raised his fist and coat it with lightning. 'I honestly don't care which one of you I get to kill as long as I have my prey for today'.

Zeref close his eyes, he brace himself for the exploding pain. He waited and it came like a ton of brick on his head? 'Ow!', he groaned. The smack was sickening, it made him dizzy and he definitely is supporting a mild concussion by then. The heck? just how much weight does the man's fist have. Throbbing aside, there were no other assault came from the man. Instead he stood in front of him with a withering look.

'I knew Dragneel is impulsive but I never thought you're plain idiotic. I believe you are suppose to be the smart one?', there was no bite in his tone just plain tiredness like he had enough of Natsu's antics.

Zeref stood there confused, hurt and gaping like a fish out of water. 'W-What?'.

The man huffed,' To get my approval will take more than cookies Dragneel. Since you couldn't really provide a worthwhile entertainment with your current self, that little brother of yours actually offered to muse me for awhile. Gotta say, you have gotten better Natsu. Your battle instinct had sharpened since the 100 year quest I see'.

His baby brother who was lying on the ground snickered 'Still need some work. That for the work out Laxus. Sheesh you can't hold back can ya'.

'I acknowledge the fact that you treasured the life of your brother and I'll assume you will do the same for the people here. That's Fairy Tail, we always have each others back however', the man took a step forward.

He stared Zeref down. Laxus- was it? Is at least twenty centimeters taller than Zeref and he had a very menacing stares according to the stories from the people in the guild 'We also value our own life. If you want to be accepted fully by Fairy tail members first you have to respect the life given to you. You only live once and there's no second chances. I bet the mercy of the god above was the reason you get to meet with your brother again. Imagine I'm not member and some kind of creep from a dark guild. If I had killed you; you can't see you brother anymore. Try to put up a fight till the last blood and don't easily surrender without a fight understand! If you can't live for yourself then live for your brother'.

'Okay', Zeref muttered. Laxus scoffed. 'Freed, Bixslow. Carry Natsu to the infirmary', two man - one green haired dude and another knight like man gave a lazy salute before carrying Natsu to the second floor. Zeref shot Laxus a wary look but said his thanks nonetheless.

When he climbed the stairs his ers picked up the faintest advice given to him**_ 'Keep trying Dragneel, Welcome to Fairy Tail'._** Laxus was sitting a good one meter away from him and he seemed too busy engorging the dinner Mira ha prepared. Logically, he shouldn't be able to say anything but deep down Zeref knew Laxus had wished him the best of luck. Softly, he muttered his thank you. Laxus lips curled up, he shook his head tiredly. Honestly the Dragneel brothers take so much work.

From outside the infirmary room, Zeref can clearly hear his brother protesting when the other two were bandaging him. Zeref remember how long it took for their mother to make him sit still just to clean his wound. When the older Dragneel entered, he wasn't the least bit surprised to see Natsu bandaged from head to toe.

The other two occupants of the room look smug. 'Heh, that oughta teach you to sit still', one of the said. The dolls around him repeated the last sentence a few times. The other man, was busily repacking the first aid kit. When he finished, he gave Zeref a slight nod. 'My name is Freed Justine and this is Bixslow. Nice to meet you Zeref Dragneel'.

Zeref shook the outstretched hand. There was no malice in his voice, but that didn't mean he couldn't see the guard the both of them are putting when they came in contact with him. 'The pleasure is all mine'.

Freed nodded his head, he pointed towards his mummified brother 'Don't make him move too much. Breathing will be very difficult for a few days if not weeks so avoid strenuous activities. Other than that, apply this ointment twice a day for a whole month to reduce the swelling and bruises. That will be all. I shall take my leave'.

'Thank you Freed-san, Bixslow-san'.

Bixslow waved him off 'Nah, Natsu see it coming from a mile away. Heck I got to see some new techniques from you brother. Just to clear the air here. I don't particularly hate you or anything, but I don't particularly like you either. But show me some more pleasantness and maybe I'll reconsider. Bye-bye Baby!'.

Zeref looked at his brother tiredly, 'You never learn do you'.

'MMMPHMMH! MMHHMMHH!!', Natsu couldn't really say much because Freed had intentionally bandaged up half his face- from his mouth to his chin. Zeref rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'I know! Alright! Alright! We'll go home now. Honestly Natsu. Don't your recklessness know any kind of boundaries?'.

'MMPHMMH..MHHHMHH.'

'Ah, I forgot. You weren't born with common sense'.

'MMHMHMM'.

'Don't take offense to that Natsu. I was merely starting the truth'. He fished out a lacrima phone from his pocket. Mavis had insisted he bought one a few weeks after they reunited. 'I'm calling Lucy and Mavis here.'

'MHMMMHMM!MMHMMH!'.

'Sorry baby brother. You're on your own explaining to Mavis about the hole on the guild wall.'

'MMHMMM'.

'Love you too. Now be quite, the signal here is very bad'.

**BONUS: **

It was midnight. Most of the guild members had left the premises. The only ones left were Laxus and Mira. The former were staring at his mug as if wishing the thing to combust in flames, whilst the latter were humming a few tunes while she cleaned up the bar.

Master hadn't take the news of Laxus wreckage very well. The only reason he hadn't had a heart attack yet was because Laxus owned up and promised to do all the paperwork and even pay for the whole wreckage.

'Still not going home?', Mira asked softly when she plucked the empty mug for the counter. No reply. She didn't mind the lack of response, she knew right at the moment Laxus is in a very bad place. Though his face remained impassive, she could detect few signs of stress lining his brows. There are very little things that could possibly worry the normally calm man.

'What did she say about Master?'.

He answered with a groan. He folded both his hand on top of the counter, his body hunched forward. It look as if he's carrying the burden of the world on his shoulders. The anxiety marring his features seemed very out of place considering his normal confident gait.

'Laxus', it was one syllable, it was his name yet the way she said them, the way she hold his shoulders comfortingly make the walls he created crumble.

'G-Gramps, Isn't getting any younger you know', the was a slight shake in his voice. Something she realize but choose not to mention it. 'It was a lucky break he survived the war with Alvarez but...', now the cracks became significant.

She she hugged him, offering the strong man her comfort. He stiffen t first but slowly leaned into the touch. 'What you did today was admirable. You purposely instigate the fight so the rest of the members will see Zeref's true nature. You help him show the other who they really are. You gave him a chance Laxus. I think Master won't have any worries about Fairy in the future'.

Shakily he grabbed her hands and pulling her as close as possible, with the counter as the only barrier. He said nothing, shed no tears but the slight tremble on his hands spoke enough. She understand completely what he was going through.

'Gildarts gave me a chance to redeem myself. It's only fair if I did the same to him. Mira, Gramps won't live any longer'.

'I know,' she nodded.

That night, she held him as close as possible, as tight as she can so he wouldn't crumble. She promised to Master no matter what happen, even after he's no longer with them, she would always look after his grandson. Always.


End file.
